Seven still missing as rescuers stop search for landslide victims

Agus Maryono

The Jakarta Post

Brebes, Central Java |
Wed, February 28, 2018 | 04:14 pm

Residents salvage their valuables from the rubble following a landslide that flattened their homes in Ungaran, Semarang, Central Java, in this file photo. No fatalities nor injuries were reported in the incident. (Antara/Aditya Pradana Putra)

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The joint search and rescue team has put an end to the search for landslide victims in Pasirpanjang village of Brebes regency, Central Java, after failing to find at least seven people believed to have been buried in the catastrophe.

The team had only managed to retrieve 11 bodies by Wednesday, after a full week of action.

“We made the decision, because it has been a week and the terrain is so difficult. Moreover, even if we find the bodies, they will be hard to identify,” Brebes Disaster Mitigation Office (BPBD) head Eko Andalas said on Wednesday.

The decision to stop the operation was also based on an agreement with the family members of the missing, he added.

The landslide that took place last week buried at least 18 people, according to reports from their families.

The victims were farmers working on their farmlands on the mountain slope, and some were also residents walking down the street. Strong rain in Brebes last week had made the highland area prone to landslides.

The joint search and rescue team comprised of personnel from the BPBD, the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), the Indonesian Military (TNI), police and local volunteers. (rin)